


Little Things

by brightmoonprincess



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: F/F, Past Abuse, Touching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-18
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2020-01-15 21:16:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18507253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brightmoonprincess/pseuds/brightmoonprincess
Summary: Glimmer takes Catra to the Steam Grotto. It's not as relaxing as she planned for it to be.





	Little Things

“Catra, you need to learn how to chill out!” Glimmer insists for the umph-teenth time, despite the consistent objections from the newest member of the Best Friends Squad. “This is the perfect place to do it!”

Ok, sure, Catra wasn’t impressed by the glittering crystals of the Lunarium or the fluffy, marshmallow-like waves of the cloud beach. Too _gaudy_ , too _bright_ , too _regal_ , she said. Glimmer might have given up after that, but she was doing this in the first place because Adora asked her to show Catra around. Adora wants them to bond, and Catra needs to become more comfortable without having her childhood friend around twenty-four-seven. A few months have passed since Catra defected, but helping her adjust has been… well… emotionally tiresome.

Regardless, Glimmer isn’t the type of friend to back out of a favor. Catra is one of Adora’s best friends, despite all they’ve been through, and a friend of a friend is a friend! So here they are, the former force captain and the princess she once captured, walking away from the grotto changing rooms, bonding.

Kind of.

After leading her to the entrance of the grotto, the pink-haired princess playfully holds a hand over her companion’s colorful, mismatched eyes. She says excitedly, “Ready? Keep your eyes closed; it’ll be a surprise!”

Catra audibly groans and side-steps away, but Glimmer shrugs it off. It doesn’t feel great, but she’s gotten used to the moodiness. She walks ahead and lets Catra follow her inside instead.

“Welcome… to Mystacor’s famous Steam Grotto!” she announces proudly, spinning around and holding her arms up in a wide, dramatic gesture. Catra glances around, not quite as impressed as Glimmer wanted her to be.

Oh, right. Cats. Water. Maybe this wasn't the greatest idea.

“Er… The water has magical healing minerals,” she continues, hoping that this information makes the steam grotto more appealing. She surmises that maybe Catra is the type of person who prefers practicality over aesthetic. “They’re used to get rid of fear and anxiety. It’s great for relaxing.”

“It’s… a magical bathroom?” Catra finally comments. Her tone is somewhere in between being mocking, incredulous, and wary.

Glimmer pouts, “No. Come on, you should at least try.”  
  
“Fine, fine.”

They approach one of the pools, and Catra literally _hisses_ at it. Her ears stand straight up, as if signaled by an alarm, and she takes an instinctive step back. “What’s _in_ that stuff? Normal water doesn’t smell like that!”

Glimmer looks confused for a moment, but… maybe cats happens to be extra sensitive to smell? She explains to the surprisingly skittish Catra, “Well, I guess it could be the minerals... Don’t worry, the sorcerers use this grotto all of the time. It’s perfectly safe. Just take a dip and let all of your worries and fears melt away!”

To lead by example, Glimmer discards her robe, practically flinging it across the room, and she eases herself into the steaming bath with a blissful sigh. She turns back and offers her hand to Catra, who-- ...blatantly ignores it and steps into the pool by herself. Glimmer can’t help but to sulk at being rebuffed again, but she doesn’t say anything.

Catra lowers herself down next to Glimmer, but at a comfortable distance away. Glimmer thinks that she doesn’t look uncomfortable in the water, at least.

The Bright Moon princess closes her eyes and leans against the edge of the pool, her face the epitome of tranquility. “Isn’t it amazing?”

“I can see the appeal,” Catra admits. Glimmer peeks over at her and grins. Catra still has her eyes open, but she’s slouched far into the water, playing with it as she splashes it around with her hands. She has her cute moments, Glimmer can also admit.

“My skin always feels amazingly soft after a long soak in here! Wait, speaking of which, I _need_ to know... Do you have _fur_ on your skin?” Glimmer wonders aloud as she reaches out to touch Catra’s arm.

But before she reaches it, Catra catches her wrist, squeezing too tightly.

With a harsh scowl, Catra screams, “ _Stop_ trying to _touch_ me!”

Her voice bounces off of the rocky walls, dissonant and guttural, before it echoes away. Afterwards, there is silence between them, and only the sound of running water is left to linger in the aftermath.

With a huff, Catra lets of Glimmer’s wrists and looks away.

Glimmer looks concerned, but she doesn’t immediately know what to say... She remembers the first time she took Adora to the grotto. How Shadow Weaver’s hallucinations caused Adora to panic at the slightest movement, how it left her distressingly shaken and petrified...

Even without Shadow Weaver, even without her illusions lurking in the steam-- She never really leaves.

“I… guess that wasn’t the best way to…” Catra starts and cuts off her statements.

“... Hey, it’s ok.” Glimmer smiles gently at her. “You’re not a touchy person, and that’s ok. I’m sorry for pushing you. I’ll back off.”

The silence returns, and Glimmer still struggles for the right thing to say. The tension still persists, and she bites down on her lip nervously.

She thinks that she now has a better understanding of why Catra always moves away from her touch. Skinship is something that comes so naturally to Glimmer, but she realizes that the same is not the true for everyone. Adora, who opened up her heart to Glimmer and Bow so effortlessly, was more of an exception.

With the way Catra acts around Adora, Glimmer realizes that Adora is Catra’s exception, too. Catra still sleeps with Adora most nights, and sometimes they even wrestle for fun, like rowdy children do. Maybe, watching how comfortable Catra is around Adora, Glimmer assumed that Catra would accept her just as readily.

Glimmer feels a pang of jealousy. She isn’t quite sure who it’s over. Either way, Glimmer’s been through this before. It tended to be the root cause of her past arguments with Bow. She reminds herself not to be a possessive friend, and she dismisses the thought before she allows it carry on.

“Sooo…” Glimmer starts, eager to change the subject, “Do you like the steam grotto?”

“Yeah, I do, actually.”

“What! Really?”

“Could you act less surprised?”

“That’s great! It’s always been my favorite place in Mystacor. When I came on vacation as a kid, Aunt Casta would bring me here to swim whenever I started getting fussy.”

“As a punishment? Sounds nice.”

“So much more fun than being sent to my room!”

“Hm. Good for you.”

“I bet it beats hitting training dummies back at the horde, right?”

“Ha. It really, really does...”

Something about the tone of Catra’s voice begins to make Glimmer feel uneasy. The feline’s posture straighten too much, and she tilts her head towards Glimmer. It’s calculatedly nonchalant.

“We had our _invigorating_ cold showers, at least. But you… you wouldn’t know what that’s like. Would you, _princess_?” she practically croons. Glimmer can almost feel her honeyed voice crawling into her ears, gooey and sickly sweet. “No feasts. No parties. No gowns. Can you even begin to imagine the horror?”

Glimmer frowns.

“You actually can’t imagine, can you? You’ve lived your entire life in the lap of luxury. It must be nice, having your every whim taken care of, being revered and admired without earning any of it...”

“I’m sorry, Catra, I didn’t mean…” Glimmer begins, but she trails off. Sure, she could have been sensitive in her words, but... this isn’t the first time this has happened. Often, it feels as if there are two Catra's. There is the playful one who is fun and clever and sillier than she’ll ever admit, and… then there’s the other one. She comes out when the repressed bitterness bubbles up to the surface, the resentment and malice oozing out through the still-healing wounds. There are days when it’s almost easy to forget that had been recently fighting in a war against each other, leaving deep scars on both sides.

Then, suddenly, it’s impossible to forget.

“We used to pretend that the punching bags were princesses. Did Adora ever tell you about that? It’s hilarious, now. How ironic.” Catra is scooting closer to Glimmer now, and the water ripples around her body as she moves. She rest her arm on the edge of the pool behind Glimmer, encircling her. It’s strange, really, how unopposed to close proximity Catra suddenly becomes when touch turns into an intimidation tool. Glimmer doesn’t move at all.

“It must be awful, though, being born with so much in your life. You never know who is truly your friend or who is there to keep you as an ally. Anyone could take advantage of you. They could turn you into a puppet of a leader. Don’t pity _me_ , princess. I pity _y_ \--”

After months of keeping her mouth closed, Glimmer finally snaps.

“Stop it!” Glimmer demands as she abruptly stands up, fist clenched and cheeks red.

Catra smirks up at her, and it’s infuriating.

“We’re your _friends_ , Catra! We’re not your enemies anymore! I know Adora lets it slide when you start being rude or manipulative or whatever it is you are trying to do. She’s so scared of you regretting your decision and going back to the horde, and she wants so badly for you to be happy here with us! We are all trying so hard to make you happy, and you keep trying to drive us away by hurting our feelings! Well, I’m not letting it go anymore. You can’t keep talking to us like that!”

Glimmer takes a deep breath and prepares for Catra’s rebuttal. They’ve argued before, but those have all always been petty conflicts that Adora would always break up. Without Adora here, there was no one to filter either of them. Glimmer mentally braces herself for the worst.

Catra holds her gaze, staring steadily back into her fierce purple eyes, but she doesn’t immediately respond. Finally, her eyes break away, and all that comes out is an annoyed “tch.”

She gets out of the pool and shakes off some of the water. For a moment, she hesitates.

“... This was a stupid idea. I’ll see you later,” Catra says. With that, she takes off, nearly sprinting out of the room.

Glimmer instantly panics. Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no. This was a mistake. Catra is mad at her. Adora is going to be mad at her. This is going to be all her fault. How can she call herself a leader when she can’t even be diplomatic with her best friend’s best friend?

“H-Hey! Catra, be careful! It’s slippery!” she frantically calls out, even though Catra is one of the most dexterous people that Glimmer knows. When that attempt to stop her doesn’t work, Glimmer teleports over to Catra and grabs her arm. “Hey, wait--”

Now, let’s be clear. Out on the battlefield, Glimmer as swift as can be. She teleports her way through hundreds of Horde soldiers without a scratch. She sends Bow flying through the air and brings him back to the ground without a stumble. She infiltrates enemies lines and comes back with their plans of attack before anyone knows she’s even there.

Outside of the battle, Glimmer relaxes.

Catra, however, never does.

Before either of them truly comprehend what’s happening, Glimmer lets out a painful grunt as her back lands hard against the rocky floor. Catra has her pinned down, one hand on her shoulder and the other in the air. Her deadly claws are outstretched, sharp as a steel sword, and she’s snarling viciously.

Glimmer is too stunned to have anything but a look of shock on her face.

Gradually, as she realizes what happened, Catra’s face returns to neutral. Her eyes lose their ferocity and appear glazed over, as if she's coming out of a trance. She doesn’t say anything at first. She only stares down at Glimmer. Her other hand slowly falls and finds its way to the other shoulder. Catra’s weight shifts, putting less pressure on Glimmer, but her hands don’t leave the princess’s skin.

Glimmer stares back, trying to figure out her expression. It’s not cold. It’s not vicious. It’s not amiable. But it’s not quite blank, either.

They’ve been this close to each other on occasion. It mostly happens during their arguments, when they’re nose-to-nose and challenging one another. This decidedly feels nothing like those moments. And, despite Glimmer’s past efforts, this has ended up being the most physical contact that they’ve ever shared, especially given the fact that they are only wearing their bathing suits.

All at once, Glimmer is acutely aware of how much of Catra’s skin is pressed against hers. Catra’s hands are resting as gently as possible on Glimmer’s shoulders. Her legs are straddling one of Glimmer’s, and both of their bare thighs are placed snugly against one another, sticky from steam and sweat.

“Sorry, again,” Catra murmurs.

“I… Sorry, again,” Glimmer manages to repeat back, barely.

Never breaking eye contact with Catra, Glimmer raises her hand within the space between them, uncertain but non-threatening.

“Can I?” she asks.

Catra responds by closing her eyes and nuzzling the side of her face into Glimmer’s hand.

Glimmer smiles, and she brushes her thumb over Catra’s cheek. It's so soft, she thinks. 

She can swear that she hears her heart pounding in her chest, and she isn’t sure whether or not her rising body temperature is due to the prolonged steam exposure. It’s definitely the steam. It has to be the steam, because this is definitely _not_ what Adora meant by bonding and speaking of Adora Glimmer still isn’t sure what’s going on with her and Catra's relationship and who is she to assume things and this situation feels like a wrench thrown into the entire friendship dynamic and ok maybe she secretly has always thought of Catra as attractive and weirdly alluring but this is happening too fast and she doesn’t even know what’s going on right now--

In the distance, they can hear the familiar sound of Bow’s laughter, follow by Adora’s voice. Glimmer lets out a tiny yelp, too-late and half-heartedly, and she teleports out from beneath Catra.

Without the mass of Glimmer’s shoulders to press against, Catra’s palms fall and hit the ground, and they slide against the slippery floor. Catra’s face gracefully smashes into the ground.

“Hey!” Bow calls out when he and Adora walk through the entrance. “We’re here to join the pool party!”

Their smiles falter and are replaced with looks of concern. Their gazes shift back and forth between Glimmer, who is standing a few feet away and twiddling her fingers, and Catra, who is motionless on the floor in front of them.

“Oh, hey! What a surprise! Haha. Ha,” Glimmer says, cooly. “We were just, um, about to get back into the pool. Wow, the steam sure is hot today! Haha. Right, Catra?” Glimmer leans over Catra’s body, still face-down on the flat purple rock.

“... Um, Catra?” Adora asks cautiously. “Are you ok?”

Catra only lets out a deep sigh.

She flips herself over.

“... Everything about this is ridiculous,” she groans.

Adora and Bow look at Glimmer for an answer. She fumbles for an excuse, saying, “We... The floor, be careful... It's so... But it's not like..."

Finally, she gives up with a sigh.

"...You’re right. This is ridiculous,” Glimmer agrees-- followed by a sudden burst of giggles. Adora and Bow look more confused than ever, and Catra sits up to gawk at her.

“All… right-y then, come join us in the pools when you’re done!” Bows tells them, deciding that whatever happened, it wasn’t something that they wanted to talk about, and that was probably for the best.

Adora, ever clueless, starts to say, “Wait, but what happened--” before Bow takes her hand and leads her away, skipping merrily over to the closest waterfall pool.

“Ahaha-- haha, ok, I will!” Glimmer manages to respond in-between laughs.

Catra continues to stare at her, incredulously. That’s it; Glimmer’s gone off the deep end. Catra knew there was something weird with the water here. It clearly turns people into lunatics. There is nothing funny about this situation!

But Glimmer’s laughter is bubbly and contagious, and after a few moments, Catra can’t help but to crack a smile and join in.

Glimmer sinks down to Catra’s level, and soon they’re sitting on the floor together, giggling like idiots. Neither one of them are sure exactly what they’re laughing about, but later they will separately come to the same conclusion that it is an innocent inside joke between friends. Or something like that.

Catra lays a hand on Glimmer’s arm to keep herself from rolling over while laughing. It’s friendly and casual. If it were Bow or Adora, with their constant bear hugs and sleepy cuddles, Glimmer might not have even noticed. But she does now.

It’s the little things that matter the most.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! check out my [tumblr](https://brightmoonprincess.tumblr.com), I take requests.


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